Relationship between nuclear and cytoplasmic poly(adenylic acid).

The kinetics of accumulation of radioactive poly(A) in the nucleus and cytoplasm of mouse L cells have been determined using labeling conditions in which the cellular ATP pool is shown to have a nearly constant specific radioactivity. Most or all nuclear poly(A) accumulates with kinetics very similar to those of heterogeneous nuclear RNA, having a half-time of about 25 min. There is little or no lag before attainment of a maximal rate of accumulation of cytoplasmic poly(A). These data are consistent with a variety of models in which nuclear poly(A) does or does not all serve as a precursor of cytoplasmic poly(A). In either type of model there must be a class of poly(A) either synthesized in the cytoplasm or passing through a small nuclear pool separate from the main pool of nuclear poly(A).